Paula Danziger was born on August 18, 1944 in Washington D.C. and was raised in New York. She wanted to be a writer as early as second grade, but became a teacher first, and worked teaching high school, junior high school, and college. Danziger studied to be a teacher at Montclair State College and graduated in 1967. It was in graduate school that Danziger wrote her first novel, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, which became a best-seller and endeared her to young adult readers. Eventually she chose writing over teaching, and dedicated herself to her writing full-time. Danziger remains active traveling around the country giving lectures and talking to school groups.

In part because she bases her stories on her own life experiences, particularly as a teacher, Danziger succeeds in portraying adolescent life realistically, and with empathy and humor. She deals with common difficulties young teenagers...